Chapter One: A Writer's Romance

Chapter Nine- Daiquiris and Balconies

Cliff Edgar

"Ellis?" I said again, watching as she lay unconscious on one of the couches in the main living room. I'd caught her before she hit her head passing out and then carried her here, but she still wasn't stirring. Wringing my hands, I went over to the ice machine by the small bar and filled a towel with ice cubes. When I moved back to kneel by Ellis, I gently placed the ice pack on her forehead.

It was the second time I'd seen her sleeping, though instead of looking gentle and serene this time, she appeared distressed and sickly-pale. For the hundredth time since I'd picked her up, I mentally kicked myself for accidentally causing her episode. I knew that it wasn't anything I could have known about, but I still felt terrible. I'd only met Ellis Anne Clemens two weeks ago, but something about her was special; that much I had decided after meeting her again. She was a sassy spitfire with a witty sense of humor, not to mention her drive for writing, but I saw something hidden in her that reminded me of myself, and I wanted to figure out what it was before she found somewhere else to live and I had to say goodbye.

As I held the ice pack on her forehead, she gently began to stir, and after a moment, her color returned some and she opened her eyes. She looked around for a minute before meeting my eyes and smiling a little. It gave me a strange feeling and my body heated up the slightest bit.

Odd girl.

"So, you gonna keep staring at me or tell me how I got here?" she asked with a playful wink. I laughed a little and sat back, letting her take over holding the ice pack on her forehead.

"Your knight in shining armor carried you up here when you passed out in his driveway," I told her, and she snorted.

"Well my knight's a little rusty, in that case," she mumbled, smirking as she did, and then sighed heavily. "I need a drink. Something refreshing. Ugh." There was my moment to shine.

I smiled quickly at her and headed off to the bar across the room. Working quickly, I found frozen strawberry and mango chunks from the small fridge next to the bar and blended up a strawberry-mango daiquiri. When I finished, I stuck a mini umbrella and a straw in the drink and delivered it back to Ellis. She looked puzzled and tried to sit up, but stopped halfway to put her hand on her forehead.

"Here," I said, placing a hand on her back and helping her into a sitting position. "Now, try this. I think it'll help perk you up."

She looked skeptical, but took the drink anyway.

"Oh," she breathed after taking a sip. She closed her eyes as she drank a bit more. "Damn, Cliff. You can make a drink."

I laughed and went to pour the rest of the drink from the blender into a glass for myself.

"Still rusty?" I asked, and she laughed.

"I guess not." She moved to the side of the couch a bit to let me sit down and then sat quietly as we sipped our drinks. I didn't make them too strong, as the last thing Ellis needed for a faint head was a bunch of alcohol, but I included just enough rum to give it a kick. When Ellis finished hers, she set her glass on the coffee table and stretched her arms above her head.

"Better?" I asked, setting my own glass down next to hers. Ellis nodded and smiled, her face much more relaxed than before.

"Much," she replied. "Thanks a lot."

I shrugged.

"Hey, it was the least I could do for putting you in this state in the first place," I told her, but I knew I would have done it regardless. It was strange, wanting to do something for another person. I usually just kept to myself and expected others to do the same, but I found I liked doing little things for Ellis.